When St. Thomas University’s Students’ Union president-elect Fernanda Damiani was a little kid, she wanted to be a nun.
She remembers helping two sister nuns from her hometown in Brazil serve food to kids in need.
“I always felt I needed to help other people,” the 21 year old said. “Then I realized I didn’t need to be a nun to help other people.”
She describes that moment, serving the kids in need food, as defining. And while the desire to be nun faded with time, she said her desire to help others has not.
Damiani is a third-year journalism student and won the election despite not being a member of the union previously.
Being a political outsider, Damiani ran on a platform of change.
“Change is always good,” Damiani said during the presidential debate.
Although not her official slogan, it is a phrase she holds close.
While Fernanda recognizes some changes are bad, she said this feeling arises from seeing the state of her own country.
Brazil right now is in social upheaval as President Dilma Rousseff faces impeachment after the largest case of corruption in Brazil’s history was exposed.
“The same party in Brazil has been in power for like 12 years,” Damiani said. “Brazil’s a mess. I think it’s good things change because if they don’t change … you just accept it”
She said without change things become stagnant. For Damiani, new people bring new ideas.
One of the ideas Damiani has is to add a member of the LGBTQIA+ community on council. She said during the election someone approached her with the idea and she’s taken it up.
“I said of course, why don’t we have one?”
While not the easiest thing to do, Damiani said ensuring people have a voice on council is key.
A representative from St. Thomas University International Students Association –one of the university’s largest organizations– is also being considered, but Damiani said nothing is for sure.
The two areas Damiani wants to focus on the most are communication and mental health. She said the way she intends to do this is working closely with the members of the union that are responsible for these aspects of student life.
Looking to the future, Damiani said her dream is to be a reporter at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
She said her two passions have always been sports and politics and that those things seem to come together at the World Cup.
As for her love of journalism, Damiani said she’s not giving it up just because she’s a student politician.
If someone took my writing away I would be very sad,” Damiani said.
For Damiani, being a nun, a journalist a now a student politician has certain values at their core.
“Once my dad told the most important thing you can have in life … is communication. That is how you stay alive.”
